Best bass amp for $500?

Starting bass (im a guitar player) and i was wondering what amp i should get... Condition: New or usedUse: home use and jamming with friends. (no actual gigs)Bands:Blink 182 The StrokesArctic MonkeysNirvanaSkid RowPink floydZZ top Red hot chili peppersBest coastWavvesGuns n rosesBon JoviMotley CrueAlice cooperRebelution COMBO AMPI was also wondering (i'm not a bass player or ever even laid hands on a bass so dont get offended) if there really is any point in buying a expensive bass amp.. cause to me (based on the videos and bass covers i've seen) the bass always sounds exactly the same to me... like if there's no difference in tone.

You said combo amp already, next question is what kind of jamming with friends? Are we talking full band, full volume? or just a couple guitars? Basically, are there going to be drums? And if so, how loud a drummer? That will be the main issue. I've played a 30 watt bass amp with a country band and it was full blast, sounded like crap and no one could hear it except me...because it was angled at my ear, in a chair, about 2 feet away. On the flip side, I've played a 220 watt Ampeg(my current amp, which I love btw) with a full band(playing way too loud) and I barely had it turned up at all.

I would say, if you have a drummer, who plays at average levels, you could get by with 100-150 watts. You could probably go even smaller with a 50 or 75 watt. BUT the thing with Bass vs Guitar amps is the power and clarity. Bass amps take more power to push the lower frequencies. So where a small watt guitar amp pushed sounds amazing, a bass amp pushed just sounds farty, wonky and muffled.

As for home use, my little 30 watt Rogue(which has been rewired several times over the past decade) works great. I love it because I know it really well and can get a variety of tones, which is nice. I have used small 10 and 15 watt guitar and bass amps before but they tend to lack the bass side of things and can become muddled to easily.

a little on my Ampeg. Its a BA115 HP combo. 220 watts, 15 inch speaker. I found it for 250, I think 290 shipped from Guitar Center.com used. New they are 500 I think. It has a 5 way selector, preset hi and mid cuts, for quick tonal changes. Low, Mid and Hi controls. A master and a Gain. RCA in for jamming with iPod or whatever. two inputs, one for passive, one for active electronics. Also has a tweeter with a control in the back to control how much tweeter you want to use, if any. kinda heavy, but has casters to help things along. Like I said, doesn't take much for this to be LOUD.

Another question, do you have a bass already? From the bands you listed, a P Bass of some kind will be perfect. Its kinda the standard. And for a reason. Took me some years to realize how amazing a tool this bass is. Solid sound, sits in a mix perfectly. Simple yet versatile. and easy to find a cheap enough copy to see if you like it or not.

Sorry for the lengthy post. I hope this all helps! Also, there is a great write up on here(I think in Lessons or Columns maybe) about this very issue. And I'm sure others will chime in soon.